Killer's Journal
by humble.fanfic.author
Summary: Early in the days of the Kidd Pirates in South Blue, while sitting in a tranquil place, Kidd requested something of Killer- if he would keep a diary. Well, slash log book. This story goes over the things that the young Kidd Pirates go through, mainly focusing on the amusing days of the captain and his mate as told through Killer's 'journal'- with some help from narration.
1. Entry 1: Bandola Island

Killer's Journal – 1.

Normally Killer didn't mind silence- in fact, he welcomed it with open arms. It was one of the reasons why he remembered so much, simply because he remained quiet often. But with a certain red-headed pirate captain sitting next to him not answering his questions, the silence was almost unbearable to sit and lounge around in.

'_In the afternoon today we had happened to be sitting on the end of the port-city's dock on Bandola Island, South Blue. It was really sunny and pleasant. Our ship, Gol D. Locks, was docked right beside us, creaking and groaning with the seemingly constant flow of waves. It's a small ship- a sloop. We don't have any need of a clipper or galleon just yet, and I sometimes take it for granted that we can still sit on a dock and not worry about Marines chasing us, or townspeople rioting against our presence, like the one blonde prince-guy-pirate. Cavendish, was it? He's been stirring things up again lately.. anyway, back to what all happened today-'_

"Kidd," the blonde said again, trying to sound patient, "are you going to give me an answer?"

Kidd blinked and came back to reality, glancing at his mate and then at his knee, finally settling his eyes on the waves beneath their feet. He had a weird look on his face that no one saw too often- an expression of deep thought. 'At least he _is _thinking..' the first-mate thought to himself, leaning back on his arm while letting Kidd think some more.

"_After we find One Piece, and I become Pirate King.. I guess I would claim all the bars in the world as my own,_" Kidd finally answered, looking back up at Killer with a scary twinkle in his eyes. Kidd meant what he said, and Killer had to laugh at the usual Kidd-like response to such a serious question.

"_That's all you'd do? No women?_" Killer asked, raising an eyebrow underneath his hair. Kidd half-shook his head, looking up at a seagull that flew around above them. It came to rest on top of the mainmast of their ship. Kidd squinted.

_"Nah.. I guess I'd also like to go back to some places.. like here. I like this island."_ Kidd replied with a thoughtful tone of voice. Killer was surprised that his captain had any interest in the current island they had been on for about half a day. It seemed too calm and normal for the action-loving, blood-thirsty pirate that was about to try and conquer the seas. Killer asked the red-head why he liked the island, getting only a sneer in reply. A ship pulling into the harbor caused big waves to crash into the hull of their ship, making the wooden craft shift and moan again.

"_Quit askin' so many questions, but.. maybe it's 'cause of the cliffs and ruins on the other side of here. Seems interesting._"

Had Killer been sitting in a normal chair, he would've fallen out of it in shock- _Kidd admitted that he liked nature and history...sort of._ Kidd noticed the surprise that was practically emitting from Killer's being and he scoffed.

"Shut up."

"I didn't even say anything!"

A tall man approached the two on the dock and his footsteps caused both pirates to turn around, both wearing frowns by that point. The man smirked at the two, pointing back to their little sloop next to them.

"We're all ready to sail again. We have all the food and information that we need," the apparent crew-mate announced, turning on his heel to go and board the vessel. Kidd and Killer looked at each other and then helped each other up to their feet. They silently walked down the pier, listening to the jaunty conversations that other merchants and sea-goers were having across from them. As soon as Kidd's boots hit the gang-plank, he opened his mouth and turned slightly to Killer.

"See? We barely have time to stay and look around."

Killer sighed, saying, "Kidd, _you're_ the captain, here." Kidd blinked, looking up at his ship and then back at the blonde with a blank look.

"Oh yeah, I am. Huh.. well, alright then. HEY, WE'RE STAYING FOR A FEW MORE DAYS!" Kidd bellowed, holding his hands to the sides of his mouth. A few men's heads popped up above the bulwarks with surprised looks while others came up from below deck to see what had been said. Other people along the pier looked in the red-head's direction with smirks and others with frowns. Kidd folded his arms across his bare chest triumphantly and looked back at Killer who was still standing on the pier below him.

"There."

"_Honestly, what would you do without me..?_" Killer asked rhetorically, running a tan hand through his gold hair. _Kidd didn't catch the whole rhetorical part and opened his mouth again._

"_Uh, I wouldn't be here?_"

"_Aw, cute. Now c'mon, let's go, Eustass."_

_ "Go where?" Kidd had asked me, looking annoyed with my order to him. I laughed at his stupidity and pointed towards the mainland. _

_ "The cliffs and stuff. We can swing by the tavern for a while after that too," I told him, taking a step-up to grab him by the arm and pull him down the dock. His boots thudded all along the way, making some sailors look in our direction. I couldn't tell for sure, but I would imagine that he had embarrassment all over his face._

* * *

As the two crew-mates got to the first road on shore, Killer finally realized that they should have come up with a plan of action before leaving the relatively-inexperienced crew to their own devices. Killer stopped walking and bumped Kidd's shoulder, grabbing the taller one's attention. Kidd turned to his friend and silently waited for what he was about to hear.

"_I don't think there's an inn on this island, Eustass.. the crew should probably go back to the ship for the night,_" the blonde told him. Kidd nodded, looking back towards his ship with that same content, and maybe even bland, expression. Killer rolled his eyes and spoke up again, "I'll go tell 'em."

"Alright. I'll wait here."

Killer sprinted down the pier, his shoulder-blade-length hair flying behind him as he went. Kidd stood with crossed arms, observing the hustle and bustle of the small island's only city. _There were fruit and vegetable stands on the inland side of the street, and on the ocean-side there were vendors that sold fresh fish._ Just as Kidd was about to go and inspect a strange purple melon, Killer snuck up beside him, scaring the daylights out of the captain.

"Don't do that!" Kidd hissed, soon falling into booming laughter. Killer merely snickered at him.

"What have you been looking at?" Killer asked him curiously, looking in the direction that Kidd had been fixated on. Kidd stuck out his hand and pointed to a certain stand across the way from him. After a mule with a cart passed by them on the cobblestone, the two crossed and looked at the fruit up close. It really was a weird purple melon!

"Interesting," Kidd mused, picking one up and looking it over some more. Killer was about to inform him what kind of melon it was when the happy vendor stood up from her chair and told Kidd about it instead. The first-mate crossed his arms while he listened, making sure everything she said was correct information.

"Is this the first time you've seen this fruit?" the woman asked the tall red-head cheerfully. Kidd nodded, already intrigued.

"Ah, so you're not from around here! Well, welcome to Bandola Island!"

Kidd and Killer both said their thanks quietly, hoping that the vendor wouldn't question who they were or what they were there for.. They were relieved when the woman spoke again.

_"It's called a lady-fruit. They're native to this chain of islands and several other islands with similar warm climates. When they're ripe they are sweet and are good for making frosting and syrups,"_ the woman continued to say. Kidd raised an eyebrow and looked up at the girl, pointing a finger to the fruit.

"How much is.. uh, a lady-fruit?" Kidd felt awkward saying such a feminine name..

"Right now, because they're so plentiful this season, they're only 40 beri each!"

Kidd and Killer looked at each other quickly and then back at the girl: "We'll take ten."

The woman became ecstatic at such good business and quickly opened a net-like bag, slipping ten ripe lady-fruits into it gently, as to not damage the fruits. Kidd and Killer were nearly drooling, imagining how good they were. Upon being handed the bag, Killer opened up his draw-string leather purse at his hip and took out 400 beri, calmly pouring the coins into the lady's extended hand. As the two walked away she waved happily after them.

"_I like this island!"_ Kidd said out loud with a grin, pulling a lady-fruit from the bag to munch on as they made their way to the far side of the island in only about thirty short minutes. There was a calm silence while they walked, eating. Occasionally one of them would point up at a certain bird or animal that they saw when passing through a woods, but the only sounds made were from nature. The blue and purple birds that were there made a low, peaceful whooping sound that drawled and floated on the air, becoming an enchanting mantra when combined with the sound of waves.

"I think the cliffs are up ahead," Kidd mumbled whilst chewing, swallowing the last of his fruit before pointing in front of him where there seemed to be a drop-off beyond a small grassy clearing. Killer nodded quietly, listening as the sounds of the waves crashing on the cliffs became slightly louder with each step they took. Before they knew it their boots came to rest in the middle of the clearing and they looked out at the calm blue ocean.

_"Wow.." Kidd said softly as we took in the untouched ocean scene with a few happy wispy clouds overhead_. Killer nodded again in agreement as he finished off his lady-fruit, sitting down cross-legged where they stood. The red-head still stood gawking for several full minutes before Killer tugged on his pant leg and offered him another lady-fruit. Kidd noticed and took the fruit, sitting down next to Killer in the tall, feather-like grasses.

_"Hey Killer?" Kidd asked me, not taking his eyes off the lady-fruit as he held it in his hand for a moment. I made a noise of acknowledgment, studying Kidd's expression while he continued talking to me._

_ "D'ya think you could keep a log book for us? You know.. but like, make it interesting- almost like a diary," Kidd asked me, looking up at me after a minute. I made a pleased face and nodded. He smiled back at me, patting my shoulder in thanks. I was happy that Kidd remembered that I had liked to write and was fairly good at it..oh, and that I even knew how to read and write._

_ Kidd told me after a while that it would be fun at the end of our journey, after we found One Piece, to read through all we had done and all the people we met along the way. He also said that I should indicate somehow the islands that he wanted to return to. I guess I'll do that at the beginning of each new island excursion, like so: _

_*Bandola Island- June 20th M – June 25th, 1516_

_ So that's how the set-up will go (in case I somehow forget). I will list the name of the city, then the country or island, and if Kidd wants to return there I'll put a little star next to the name. After that I'll list the dates that we remained at that place. I think it sounds good enough. __Maybe I should say if we arrived or left in the morning or afternoon.. huh. Next to the dates I'll write a letter for the time of day it is, like this: _

_June 20th M - June ?_

_There. Since we arrived this morning, I put an M. So.._

_M - Morning  
MD - Midday  
A - Afternoon  
D - Dusk  
N - Night_

_ I promise, future Pirate King and co., I won't be too systematic about all this, because that takes away from the fun of reading the logs. So that's all I'll do the same for the entire journey, relating to this journal/log/diary__. __Also, I guess by 'diary' Kidd meant that I could put in some emotions and feelings, too. I feel like I've already done that a lot though, ehehe..oh well. I can't hurt._

_ But I digress. O.K. Where was I? Oh yeah, the cliff scene. _

_Lord, that sounds way too romantic for my liking!_

_ So Kidd and I sat there, talking about what I would write here. It really was kind of dream-like, thinking about how much we will see and accomplish within the coming months- if we make it, that is. Kidd is always so gung-ho about how we'll just sweep past all the other crews with barely a scratch and it will all be 'easy as pie'. (I've never understood that saying..) But, I don't know. I don't think the Grand Line will be all that forgiving..I guess we shall see for ourselves soon enough._

_ After eating one more lady-fruit that we split between the two of us, which became disastrously messy, we both decided to go and look over the edge of the cliff like the lunatics I am sure we are. __Killer and Kidd thought maybe army crawling up to the edge would take some of the risk of falling in away, which was actually smart. It distributed the weight better- otherwise, had they both stepped on the very edge at the same time, no doubt would the thin rock have cracked and sent the two plummeting. _

_ But no, that didn't happen. ___We hesitantly peered over like scared children and immediately burst out into "WOAAAHH!"s.___ There was literally no support directly underneath that part of the cliff, so if they fell in, they would be at the hands of the distant waves that crashed into the craggy protrusion. ___Though we were both pretty good swimmers, there's no way either of us would've lived had we fallen.__

__"This would be the perfect scene for a massacre!" Kidd burst out, beginning to laugh. I had begun to think that he was a different person with him being so calm and normal all day, but that comment relieved me, strangely enough. Meanwhile, he immediately stopped as he heard the underside of the cliff start to rattle loose some rocks which dropped into the sea. He froze for a minute and turned towards me, scared out of his wits. I can't really say much, though, because at that point I was as pale as him. We both shuffled back as quickly as possible to where we had been sitting before with the bag of fruit. ____**Note to future crew- when we go back to Bandola, don't forget to stock up on these lady-fruits.**__

From that point onwards, Kidd and Killer steered clear of the very edge and went to go looking for the ruins that Kidd had spotted from the ship while circling the island earlier that day. He could have sworn that they were really close to the cliffs, but as he and the blonde walked around there was no sign of them anywhere. _After maybe a quarter of an hour of wandering in pretty much a circle I gave Kidd a doubtful glance, telling him that I thought he had been lying. He became embarrassed and 'tch'ed at me, folding his arms. _

_ "Those fuckin' buildings are here somewhere! I'm not _that_ insane!" Kidd told me loudly, more to convince himself than me. I rolled my eyes. I happened to walk a little further to the west side of the island, which we hadn't really gone into, and voila- ruins. Kidd just about punched me in the face for sounding so smug when I told him. Just thinking about his expression makes me laugh. Ehhh.. I should stop laughing before Kidd hears me and comes to slaughter me and my family for waking him up- c'mon, unless he's changed, you guys all know by that point that Kidd does _not _in the slightest like to be awoken for any reason. _

_ Anyway... **cough**_

_ T_hey walked through the remains of the ancient buildings. The ruins were small and simple buildings, probably homes, built from stacking stones in a way that didn't require any mortar- yet they withstood the ocean breezes for centuries. The whole experience fascinated the two.

_There was one building that was really awesome, though. It was in the middle of everything, just standing out like a sore thumb, (again, another saying I do not understand). It seemed to be a lighthouse or tower, and most of it was intact. As we both neared towards the entrance to the tower, Kidd looked at me with this.. this.. I don't even know how to describe it. It was something like a look of pure, unceasing persuasion mixed with a hint of mischief. I sighed, capitulating to the silent battle that had taken place. I wasn't going to say 'no' when that kind of aura was rolling off him like a river. Besides, he always forgets that _he _is the captain and that he therefore has the right to do anything he wants. _

_ I don't get it. Maybe my mother-hen attitude has been affecting him in a long-term way. ..Maybe that's not so bad, now that I think about it...Hm. _

Kidd began to climb the remarkably sturdy spiral staircase in the ancient tower- the only problem was that when it was built, the average height of a male was about 5'4" ft. Kidd was a whole foot taller, so he had to awkwardly crouch as he went up, still feeling his hair brush against the stone. Luckily, the whole tower was only about 30 or so feet tall, so Kidd didn't have to struggle for too long before he got to the top where there was a perfect view of almost the entire island and the surrounding ocean. Kidd hadn't realized how stout all the trees on the island were.. _Kidd bent slightly over the side of the tower and beckoned for me to come up, and so I did. I soon found that I had similar height problems, but that was alright. The view was worth it._

_ We were immersed in our own thoughts when a middle-aged man came out of the woods and was walking towards us. Kidd and I looked at each other, wondering what we should do.. _

_ "_Oh, I see you've stolen my perch!" the man yelled up with a laugh, putting his hands on his hips. Killer rubbed the back of his head and started pulling the red-head down the tower with him till they were on the grass talking with the man.

_Apparently the tower was still being used to watch for large pirate ships with prominent features, like Cavendish's. But also, it so happened that Red-Haired sometimes liked to hang out on the island- probably for the lady-fruit, I'm guessing. Anyway, the man was coming to keep watch, and when I glanced at Kidd I knew something was cooking in there ('there' being his head). I waited silently, waiting till Eustass did something. What he did made me smirk._

_ He looked around and spotted a fallen tree not too far away, and he told the man to follow him. I went too, because.. well, I was curious. _Kidd looked between the two observers and took out his dagger, carving something into the trunk. The man watched Kidd with an amused look, and when Kidd was done carving, he explained what it was.

_Kidd had carved our Jolly Roger into the log there, and I had no clue what he was going to say about it. He looked stern as he began talking. _

"Have you seen this Jolly Roger before?" he asked the man seriously. The man studied it carefully and shook his head, looking a little confused. Kidd had no reaction. He then told the man something else.

"If you or any one of the watchmen ever see this Jolly Roger on a ship, do not attack it. The people on that ship have a respect for this island and it's people and would not ever damage it in any way. Do you understand?" Kidd asked, looking the man in the eye. The man looked up at Kidd, then the Jolly Roger, and then Kidd again. He nodded. Kidd put his hand on the man's shoulder and spoke to him again. "Tell the townspeople that the people of that Jolly Roger are your allies. But please don't go telling that to outsiders- they might take advantage of that information and pretend to be your allies, then ambushing you. Keep this knowledge safe and protected, and if need be, know that those people would come to your assistance at any time after they come here again."

_Kidd should have known that the man would be overwhelmed with such a mission, but really the man seemed to understand, even despite all the pressure. Kidd let the man go with a smirk, telling him to go back to town and spread the news to the locals. Kidd said that we would keep watch till he returned. So the man obediently left, leaving the captain and I alone again. I gave him a grin for his softness._

_ "You're a good guy, Eustass."_

_ "Yeah, yeah, whatever.. I just feel at ease here, and not many places make me feel that way. Home sure didn't make me feel at ease."_

_ I nodded in response. I do kind of like the calm-Eustass.. that laid-back attitude lets me relax a little, and I find it easier to just be in his presence. I bet if we ever get called back here because some other crew tried to take over this island, Kidd would make me behead them and chop their limbs off. No, I _know _he would. Or maybe he would want to do the deed himself- I'd prefer that, honestly._

_ "Do you think they'll realize that's our Jolly Roger before we leave?" I asked Kidd, just curious to see what he would say. He shrugged away the thought, leaving me again in silence with no answer, just how this all started._

While the man was gone, Kidd and Killer sat and relaxed on the carved trunk, looking at the tower and past it at it South Blue. Killer began to talk to Kidd, casually, sometimes telling him stories of his past.

"The birds here amuse me," Kidd noted, causing both to grow quiet and admire the sound. Killer smiled as one of the blue birds flitted in front of them and perched itself on a rock not too far from the two. Kidd froze in place, not wanting the bird to be frightened. However, the animal paid him no heed at all and just continued his call. Killer took this as an opportunity to connect with nature.

The blonde began to imitate the bird's sound, and suddenly the bird was hopping around, looking every which way for the other 'bird' that had made the sound. Kidd and Killer laughed at the poor thing, making the bird flap it's wings and hop back a few steps in slight irritation.

"_Back home, when I was younger, my neighbor had a Bandola Blue Bird as a pet and it would fly around with him. I always thought it was pretty cool, but it rarely made the sound. When the thing did make the call it sounded so forlorn, and I couldn't blame it. Being the only one of your kind on an island would be depressing to say the least," I explained, remembering the golden days of my childhood. Ha, not really. I grew up fine, no problems, with a normal family. It just shows that pirates come from any and all backgrounds. Kidd raised an eyebrow._

_ "They're called Bandola Blue Birds?" Kidd asked me. I nodded._

* * *

_ "Pretty straightforward, huh?"  
Kidd nodded that time, feeling a little stupid. _

_ We sat there for maybe an hour and a half, watching the sun begin to go down in front of us. That was pretty amazing. Silence was our friend for a long time, there, although I did flap my lips way more than I usually do. At least I think so.. Every once and a while I'd go up in the tower to really make sure that no pirates were coming, which there were not. The only pirates there were us._

_ Finally, the man came back with a concerned face. Kidd approached him, wondering what was wrong._

_ "They wanted to know what the captain and crew would look like.." _

_ Kidd looked back at me with an utter loss of words and I nearly burst out laughing. I calmed myself, however, and delivered a very convincing account of the appearance of these allies._

"The captain is tall and muscular, looking confident and daring and his first-mate looks tall and lanky, but just as strong and wise. The crew will look like a fine group of strong and brave men, all with unique abilities that set them apart from each other."

Kidd sent Killer a warning glare when he started purposely talking highly about himself, not that the man knew any different. Yet, at the end of the description, Kidd pretty much completely agreed- the only thing wrong was that the captain did not _just _look confident and daring, but _was_ so. (He forgot that Killer was trying to describe appearances...) Either way, the man took it all in and remembered it. He then looked between the two pirates.

"I suppose you're our allies, then?" the man asked meekly, putting a hand into his pocket. Kidd started to smirk, snapping his fingers.

"Damn, can't trick you guys," Kidd said out loud, looking down at the civilian who was suddenly looking quite chipper. He stuck out his hand to shake Kidd's pale one, firmly holding onto his ally's hand for as long as allowed.

"I'm the marshal/mayor of Bandola Island, Tsumu Tsugami. It's an honor to have you on our side, Mr...?"

Kidd rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, hating such a polite introduction. "Kidd. Eustass 'Captain' Kidd." The marshal grinned, letting go of Kidd's hand to shake Killer's, too.

"I'm Killer," Killer told Mr. Tsugami simply. Tsugami had to chuckle at his name.

"Perfectly suitable for a pirate. Now, I want to say thank you for not harming my island or people-"

Kidd interrupted Tsumu rudely, swishing the air with his hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I really like this island's atmosphere, but you're completely giving off the opposite of that feeling. So if you're not normally like this, then cut the crap and be real, alright?" The mayor, slightly appalled, nodded.

_ I couldn't believe Kidd. Honestly. It was kind of true, though.. The mayor had been acting very strangely compared to when we had talked earlier at the tower. Maybe Kidd was right about confronting him.._

_ Either way, the mayor did drop the act. Kidd told him that he didn't want for everyone to know that the ally was him specifically and didn't want the whole town chanting his name. He wanted that laid-back, 'nice ta' meetcha'-feel that the people already succeeded in exuding. Kidd pretty much had to make sure no fanclub was created in his honor. The amusing thing is, we don't even have bounties right now._

_ At the end of the evening, after wandering into a bar for a while, like I had promised Kidd earlier today, Kidd and I retired to Goldie for the night.(I call the ship Goldie, even though it's Gol D. Locks.. funny thing is, some people have complimented me on 'my' nice vessel, and others have asked me on the docks before if I was the captain of the ship, simply because of my gold hair. Every time I would make sure Kidd wasn't near me and I'd laugh, telling them that I sometimes I feel like the captain, but really I am not..hehehe, Goldie's the best.)_

_ Before we went to sleep, Kidd and I were standing at the side of the ship at the railing, listening to the distant Bandola Blues and the small ripples that lapped against Goldie's side. It was nice. The crew was returning steadily but no one noticed us just standing there- maybe it was because Eustass wasn't barking about something or drunkenly latching onto me to keep himself upright. He was only a little buzzed tonight, thank heavens, but his cheeks were red the whole time we stood there. Really, his whole presence felt strangely warm tonight.. _

_ Right before we decided it was time for sleep Kidd turned slightly towards me, but still looking out at the ocean somewhere. I waited for something..anything. It took a minute, but he got it._

_ "You're really great, you know that?" he told me, patting my back. I remember I just blinked, gathering my thoughts. He had complimented me. Kidd got a little frustrated when I didn't respond, and he looked at me with that stern look again. I glanced back at him, uncertain of what he was going to say. His look of inner brooding intensified, and I began to wonder what I had done._

_ Apparently he noticed the alarmed look on my face and he laughed, causing some of the other crew members to jolt and stare towards him as if we had just appeared out of thin air. Needless to say I was very confused, and Kidd just shook his head, putting his arm around my shoulder as he turned to go below deck for the night._

_ "I'm just messin' with ya. But really, thanks for being here with me. Means a lot," Kidd told me, stopping in front of his cabin door, just kind of observing me for what I would do. I scratched my head and smiled pitifully, ending up wallowing in embarrassment. I had no idea what to say to all that! It came out of nowhere, and frankly, the whole day he was weird and slightly unpredictable, so I was at a loss. Kidd laughed under his breath and shook his head, turning the knob on the cabin door. He took a step in and paused, glancing back out at me with a smirk._

_ "Don't stay up too late writing the log."_

_ "I won't," I replied, knowing that would probably end up being a lie (which it was, if you couldn't tell by how much effort and time I have put into this thing). Kidd sent me a short wave, stepping into his room._

_ "G'night, Killer." _

_ His door then shut with a click, and I felt strange leaving him without the proper response, so I put my face close to the door and listened for a moment before replying._

_ "You too, Kidd."_

_ It was a good day. I enjoy Bandola greatly, and I'm excited for the future. But for now I have to stop thinking and just succumb to sleep. Sleep, great sleep._

_\- End of Day 1. -_


	2. Entry 2

Killer's Journal – 2.

Before the day had even begun, Kidd was curious as to what Killer had written.

An hour before dawn, Kidd got up, snuck into the sleeping quarters and tip-toed in the dark over towards his mate's hammock, wondering where the journal was. The moonlight from above deck shown down through deck prisms, giving Kidd a little bit of help in finding the desired object. When he noticed that it was on Killer's chest, his stomach dropped.

How was he going to be able to take it off without waking Killer up? Kidd rubbed his head, sighing. He decided he would go for it anyway, and as soon as the tips of his finger touched the leather book, Killer's eyes flew open and his hand clamped around Kidd's wrist. Kidd almost shrieked, flailing as Killer kept his grip. Slowly, the blonde's eyes woke up and saw again, seeing that he had Kidd in a death grip. Wait, Kidd?

"Eustass..?" Killer groaned quietly, wearily sitting up in his hammock. Kidd pulled his hand away from his mate, blushing furiously.

"I wanted to test your reflexes while you were asleep. Having an attentive first-mate is important for the future Pirate King's crew.." Kidd managed to piece together, sounding quite flustered. Killer nodded slowly, still doubtful. Kidd had been doing something, but what? Kidd laughed sheepishly and retreated out of the room before he could be interrogated, leaving Killer to his own confusion.

Killer flopped out of his hammock and went after Kidd quietly, not wanting to wake up the other crew members.

"Hey Kidd, did you need som-?"

Kidd had been waiting next to the door for the blonde, knowing that he would follow. So when Killer stepped out, Kidd successfully knocked the pirate unconscious with a punch. He held up Killer's body for a moment, debating what he should do with it before he went and read the journal in his cabin. He thought for a second that maybe he should just drag the guy with him, but if any of the others were awake and saw him drag Killer back to his cabin they might become at least a _little _concerned. He decided upon putting Killer gently back in his hammock, making his position look as natural as possible before picking up the journal and scurrying to his room...

_Day 2. on Bandola Island_

Kidd had hidden his in room all throughout breakfast reading, sometimes bursting out into laughter that made the whole crew wonder what the hell he was up to in there. There wasn't much that could make Kidd laugh to begin with.. Besides murdering other pirates and such.. Both rotations of breakfast-goers heard at least one outbreak of strange emotion.

_Because our dining table is rather small, and with 15 crew members, there are two rounds of breakfast- the first for whomever got up first, and the second for the late sleepers. Kidd hadn't come to either one, or so I was informed as I woke up from.. unconsciousness, stumbling into the second breakfast._

At the end of the meal, Killer brought a plate of food with him as he knocked on Kidd's door, immediately hearing silence and then quick shuffling around before the door was opened.

_Kidd acted really weird when he opened his door, being all smiley-hesitant-like before he noticed that I had food. His food. He looked at the plate and then up at me. I sighed and shoved the plate towards him before turning on my heel to go back up to the deck. I planned on walking through town, seeing what kinds of things their stores sold and such. But I suppose Kidd put his plate on the floor or something and rushed out of his room into the hall, telling me to 'wait!'. His voice sounded half desperate, and I almost laughed, turning around at the top of the stairs to face him- him who was definitely flustered._

_ "Uh.. where are you going?" Kidd asked me, looking down at the floor._

Killer raised an eyebrow, taking a step or two down to sit and talk with Kidd for the moment.

"Into town. I just want to see if they sell anything interesting."

Kidd frowned, looking back into his cabin. He glanced back up at his first-mate, trying to decipher what exactly should he say. He didn't want to sound mushy-lovy, but he didn't want to sound apathetic either. Hmm..

"Sounds..fun. I might as well go with you- just hold on for a second while I get ready," Kidd told Killer with a strange expression. In seconds he was closing his cabin door behind him as a wave made the ship tilt slightly and creak. Killer sat there on the stairs quietly and obediently.

"Hows come you're just sitting there, Killer?" the tall crew-mate, Wire, asked the blonde as he passed him on the stairs going down. Killer watched Wire turn towards him and lean against the wall, waiting for an answer. The first-mate didn't know what to tell him, really.

_"Waiting to go on another adventure with the captain, I suppose," I finally said, watching Kidd's door. I wanted to leave, suddenly. I had a bad feeling about what Wire would ask next. My fears were confirmed as Wire made an amused face, folding his arms. _

_ "Oh? You two were gone for a long time yesterday. I stayed on Gol D. Locks most of the time to keep watch, but I did get out for a few minutes. What all did you guys do?"_

"..."

Silence...Wire laughed sheepishly, guessing Killer didn't want to talk about it. But why wouldn't he? What did they do?

_I would've ended up making the whole day sound like a date, and Kidd doesn't need that rumor floating around the ship..I would end up probably getting flogged or something. _

Kidd saved the day, quickly swinging his door open to catch both mates attention. Kidd nodded to Wire and passed by Killer on the stairs, pulling him by the arm as he went up. Wire watched as Killer waved to him and got dragged upwards and away from view. The tall mate was thoroughly anxious to know what was going on..

"Tell everyone to be back on Goldie by 1 A.M., alright?" Killer told the nearest crew member as he finally got to his feet and jumped off the ship after Kidd. The crew-mate nodded, noting that the return time was later than the previous day, and proceeded to turn around and spread the message. When he came to Wire, who had come back on deck, Wire pulled him aside to talk quietly. He had a slight smirk on his face, watching Killer and Kidd walk down to the end of the dock before speaking.

"Heat, did the captain have a weird look on his face when he walked by?" Wire asked, making sure no other people were listening to him. Said crew-mate, Heat, gave Wire a raised eyebrow and nodded, starting to smirk evilly. The two turned and watched Kidd and Killer begin to wander into town, and Killer began dragging Kidd into a certain building that he apparently was excited about.

"Somethin' is making him turn soft," Heat concluded, turning back to Wire with folded arms. Wire nodded in agreement.

"Maybe it's something on the island..?"

The two knew what they would be trying to find out that day..

_I had seen a cool looking shop on first street into town, and I had to haul Kidd after me because he didn't like the idea that we were going shopping, like women. I denied that, saying that we were looking for things that could help us on our journey, and that helped out slightly as we stepped inside. _

_ We were rapidly greeted by the owner of the shop, telling us about the specialty items of that specific shop. _

"We sell hats, helmets, eye-wear and extra-traction ship-boots and other footwear here, due to the fact that most travelers who come here are headed for the Grand Line, and the waters both towards there and in the Grand Line are rocky and unpredictable! Special padded headwear protect your head from hail and any free-swinging ropes that might come loose in a storm. Helmets do that along with helping to protect your face and head if you get tossed about the deck during rough conditions, almost guaranteeing that if you were to get flung against the deck, wall or railing, your head would remain safe. Our other products have similar functions, all dedicated to safety at sea! Please, look around!"

_Kidd and I looked at each other- I gave him an 'aren't you glad you came in here with me?' kind of look. He scoffed, looking around the shop one way while I went the other way. _

_ Ever since the man had talked about helmets I was tempted to find one that I liked and buy one, because even though I'm pretty agile on land, the ship sometimes throws me off. I still don't have the best sea-legs, unlike Kidd who could practically stand in one place on deck throughout an entire squall, rooted like a strong tree. _

_ I thought maybe if I had a way to protect my precious head than maybe I could be a little more daring when out at sea. Plus, if we had to battle with Marines or other pirates then the majority of the area of my head wouldn't be able to be shot, stabbed or bashed. See, I'm thinking ahead here. _

_ Kidd, meanwhile, was fascinated with a pair of goggles that looked rather.. industrial. I wondered what he was thinking about while holding them.._

Kidd was thinking about how finally he could shoot off their four mounted pivot cannons, two for port side, two for starboard side, and not get tons of smoke in his eyes. Then again, he thought, why would he have to set off those puny things when he could be the one to light the mortar?

Oh yeah.. Gol D. Locks didn't have the kind of space or tonnage to be able to hold a mortar and fire it without literally causing the whole thing to capsize. He sighed, dreaming of bigger ships.

Whatever. _Kidd got the goggles anyway, and I had found a nice white and blue full-head helmet that could snap in half with a quick release gear in case it needed to be taken off quickly. I wouldn't want to fall into the ocean and wrestle to get my helmet off my face, ya know._ Kidd was proud of his first-mate for admitting his current downfall and trying to improve, while Killer thought Kidd was just being weird, buying such strange looking goggles. He knew better than to question, however.

Soon after buying the items, the two both put their new 'fashion statements' on. The two glanced at each other and started laughing.

Kidd was actually wearing the goggles on his eyes, and Killer thought he looked pretty stupid.

Kidd thought that Killer would just run intostuff and hurt himself more than avoid damage.

_I suggested to him that maybe when he doesn't really need them he could wear the goggles on his forehead. That way it would keep his hair out of his face and not look so stupid. Kidd pulled the goggles onto his forehead then and it looked perfect. But there really wasn't much room for me to be able to make myself look any less stupid. _

_ "You could only wear it when we're at sea, maybe.." Kidd had told me. I agreed, and so that was that. I took it off then and carried it under my arm while we looked around some more. _

_ We noticed a sort of apothecary on a street corner and I wanted to go in, so Kidd grudgingly came in with me. Really he wasn't all that bored inside, looking at all the weird kinds of home remedies that the workers had displayed. _

_ He failed to notice one of the displays that I quickly was attracted to. _

_ On the windowsill there was a fresh-cut twig of one of the native trees with several green leaves on it. It seemed like such a weird thing to be turned into medicine, but it turned out that the leaves of those trees have a sort of calming effect when their nearly unnoticeable fragrance is breathed in. In a way I wanted to hide that information from Kidd, maybe so that the island didn't lose a sort of charm to him. If the island gave the calming effect to him through the leaves on the trees, so be it, but if those trees were on other islands I didn't want him to think that Bandola wasn't special. _

_ When Kidd wasn't looking I quickly paid for a barrel of those leaves, and when the unmarked barrel was rolled out I told Kidd that it was just some medicine, barely even nervous about telling him because of the effect of the leaves on me. Kidd just nodded with a slight smirk, thanking the pharmacist for nothing in particular as we walked out. (I think he's more affected by these stupid leaves than anyone else is because when he's up close and personal with that barrel, he acts like he's been on some sort of illegal drug. He insisted upon carrying the barrel on his shoulder too as we walked down the street and back to Goldie to drop off the barrel.)_

After doing this, none of the crew members even bothered to ask what the barrel held because of the effect.

Maybe Killer was just more immune to the leaves?

The two decided to then go and bring back some lady-fruit for the crew to have that night after they got 'home'. Between the leaves and the fruit, the crew went to bed with happy minds and happy stomachs.

_Again, tonight we (Kidd and I) stood at the railing of Goldie after having some grub and beer at the tavern where Kidd almost got in a bar fight.. This was simply because two other people got in a fight and the innocent person was going down quick, so Kidd literally just stood up, walked over and just blasted the bad guy in the face. I bet the guy's entire face is broken.. it was crazy. _

_ Even though it was quite brutal, everyone in the bar stood up and clapped for Kidd, and he walked back to me with this flustered kind of smugness, blushing but trying not to smile, so it just looked like he was drunk and scowling. _

_ The drunk part I'm certain was true, though. _

_ I hope the barrel will keep Kidd calm for a long time.. but not _too _calm, or else he won't go full-force when he needs to. Ugh.._

_ Oh yeah! When we got back here after 'supper' Kidd walked into his cabin, leaving me in the hallway while he went to get something. He walked back out with something behind his back and I had no clue what it was. He must have been pretty embarrassed, or more drunk than I thought, judging by the color of his face. Then he handed me this journal, rubbing his neck. _

_ "Sorry," he told me quietly. I was amazed. When did he take it? But more importantly, I felt like my diary had just been stolen, because it had been! It was only a few pages of stuff, but still! My face heated up as I took the thing and held it to my chest, my new helmet in my other hand. _

_ "It was really funny, though," Kidd noted, starting to grin. He wouldn't look at me, but I could tell he was being serious. I managed to smirk a little, imagining him trying not to hyperventilate. _

_ I told him that I was going to put my things into my trunk and then I would be up on deck again if he wanted to join me. I wasn't facing him then, but I could just sense his weird smile radiating. _

_ There wasn't anyone in the common room, thank heavens, so I put my hair back and took off my off-white, baggy sailors' shirt that nearly everyone wore. Really, I like those shirts because they're heavy enough to protect your skin from the sun but at the same time thin enough to let the wind keep you cool. I try not to wear those shirts to bed, though, just because I want them to stay cleaner longer, and if I have some sort of random panic attack in my sleep and start sweating then my good shirts won't get all sweaty, too. ….All of that was probably unnecessary. Well darn._

_ So I did that and then I took off my boots and socks. Then, finally, I went back on deck and found Kidd already standing there watching the sun go down. He was leaning heavily on the railing so by that point I knew he was trying to fight his drunkenness. I smirked as I tried to make myself known before scaring the shit out of him, which he was too calm to do so anyway. He merely smiled painfully when he noticed I was there, and I sat down next to him. I thought maybe he would sit down too so he didn't have to stand there looking so awkward. _

Killer pulled Kidd's pant leg, patting the deck next to him for the red-head to sit down on. Kidd slowly and ungainly did so, landing with a sort of grunt. Killer tried not to laugh at his captain's pain, looking out at the red and orange ball of plasma that was disappearing beyond the seemingly never ending South Blue. Kidd glanced at Killer but he said nothing. He just wished that they could stay there and magically have One Piece come to him from afar. He closed his eyes- but that wouldn't be nearly as heart-racing and blood-boiling as killing his enemies to get One Piece.. fighting for his heaven on earth.

It'd be so much more fulfilling to fight for One Piece and than to receive it.. then _finally _be able to return to Bandola.

"Yeah..." Kidd concluded aloud, forgetting that Killer was still with him..leaning on his shoulder, actually. The red-head looked down and saw him there.

_I was tired. I didn't know why, but I was. Maybe it was more that I didn't want to leave. But I know that if we don't leave we don't get money, we don't make a living, we don't have tons of adventures and we wouldn't find One Piece. Really, that's Kidd's dream, not mine. My dream is just to be able to say that I've accomplished great things in my life that will let me be able to die knowing I made a difference- and I just so happened to meet Kidd. _

Killer had rested his head on Kidd's shoulder, not caring about anything. He watched the sun bleep out that famous green light just as it completely faded from visibility. Kidd made a noise that vaguely resembled amazement, and Killer laughed at him.

"Have you never seen that before?" Killer asked him. Kidd shook his head.

"That was cool."

"Yeah.."

"Captain and Killer sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~!" several crew-mates started chanting as they re-boarded Gol D. Locks. Unfortunately, Killer fell over onto the deck as Kidd abruptly stood up and managed to chase the fellow pirates below deck with odd threats like cutting their lips off in their sleep. Killer righted himself and chuckled while Kidd came back to sit with him, grumbling under his breath.

_Usually it was only me that was brave enough to taunt Captain, but lately the crew has taken advantage of Kidd's drunk-spells to insult him. Even I don't think that's smart because Kidd can get pretty ugly-illogical when drunk..maybe they haven't seen that yet. I forget who all was with us when certain things happened..it's all just a jumble. _

_ But by then it was getting dark very quickly and I didn't particularly want to fall asleep on deck, but when I tried to get up, Kidd just held onto my wrist with his death-grip of his. I resorted to leaning on his shoulder again, just waiting for him to say something..anything. It never happened, and eventually I fell asleep on him. I guess he didn't mind much..or didn't notice, or something, because I didn't wake up on my face on the deck. He had taken me below deck and put me in my hammock and I never once opened my eyes whilst this was happening._

_ Kidd must be more gentle than I take him to be. _


	3. Entry 3: Departure-At Sea

Killer's Journal – 3.

_ So I woke up a little earlier than everyone else and I in turn rang the bell to signal the beginning of the day. As usual, I got something flung (this time in the form of a boot) towards me for waking everybody. I was accustomed to it since I woke up first many of the days on Goldie. It was important that everyone woke up this time, though, so that they could do whatever they needed to do before we left Bandola (a day late, mind you)._

_ I hadn't bluntly told Kidd that we should leave today but I think he silently got the message from last night, even amid his drunkenness. That reminds me, when he didn't wake up in time for breakfast again this morning I was concerned. After a while someone told me that Kidd was finally spotted and had wandered into the galley to fix himself a little something to eat, but that he looked corpse-like. When he finally did come above deck to where I was, overseeing preparation to leave, I could tell he was not doing so well. _

"You look horrible.." Killer told him, turning towards his captain. Kidd merely rubbed his face and nodded, going to lean on the railing.

"Hangover."

Killer nodded slowly in realization as to why Kidd hadn't been around all morning. "Oh.. Well.. Should we wait a little longer before departure, then?"

Kidd perked up at that idea for a moment, looking pitifully conflicted. He really didn't want to leave, but they needed to before he attached himself to a tree and refused to let go. In other words, they needed to leave before he changed his mind. In the end he shook his head.

"No. We're still leaving today as soon as possible. Make sure the Jolly Roger is raised high before we pull out of the harbor."

"Aye aye, Captain Kidd."

"And, also, uhh.. haul all the sails and fly the jib.. just because."

Killer smirked, knowing Kidd wanted his ship to look it's mightiest for the people of Bandola to see, gliding off into adventure. He patted Kidd's back lightly and said he would be back in a few minutes. Kidd took notice of him and would've followed after the blonde had he not had a pang of nausea that sent him hurling over the railing.

_I had been trying to think of anything I was forgetting to bring along before we left, and I kept having a nagging feeling that there was something at the safety-store I still needed. Therefore, I went back and looked around once more till something struck my fancy. It was something I would probably need, along with my helmet._

_ This pair of heeled boots.. they looked beautiful.. but so expensive. I couldn't afford them with what I had left in my allowance money- and I'm the first-mate! I ultimately have the second-highest allowance, but I blew it all on lady-fruit, bar stuff, the helmet and leaves- 'important stuff'. I was on the brink of being forlorn, just holding the boots in my hands while I stared at them longingly. _

_ Not only were they cool, but they had interesting rubber soles that could grip wooden floors well, even when wet. See, they're practical as well as fashionable! So..I was about to put them back on their little platform in the window when the owner of the shop came by and recognized me. He approached me with a smirk, noticing that I liked the boots. _

_ "You're the first-mate ally, right?" the man asked me softly even though there was no one else in the store. I had to think for a second and then I nodded. He chuckled, looking off to the side. I didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't seem too awfully outgoing or anything so I knew he wouldn't make a huge deal out of my presence, but he kind of gave me this wave that I didn't comprehend. It seemed like he was waving me out of his store, but.._

_ "Take 'em- they're yours, " he said. I blinked._

_ "..The boots?" I asked, making sure we were on the same page. He nodded. _

The look on Killer's was one of pure joy, and he quickly shed his current rough boots for his new fancy boots, strutting around in them right there in the store.

The owner grinned and shook his head as he walked back to his counter and retrieved something from under his cash register. He came back out to Killer and pushed the item towards him, catching the blonde's attention away from the footwear momentarily to look at.. well.. a something.

It was a small wooden piece on a bracelet with a hollow glass sphere on top that had a compass-like needle. Killer looked between the man and the object, wondering if he was going to receive it as a gift. Eventually the item was placed in Killer's hands after a short back story on how the man had it and what it was and everything.

"I figure you're headed for the Grand Line?" the man had asked. Killer nodded, hooking his thumb in the waistband of his pants whilst leaning against the store's wall. The man looked at the glass ball for a minute while thinking. "I was there.. but I didn't get far. I held onto this log pose, though, just in case I needed it for some reason. I suppose the reason was to help an ally along their journey, like now."

_I knew that I had heard of log poses before and that people sailing the Grand Line used them, but I didn't know how all they were any different from normal compasses. I figured the man wanted to tell me something and so I prepared to to listen to the store owner tell a tale or two.. and possibly explain what log poses did._

"I was born in the Grand Line and grew up to be a fisherman there, like my father had been. I was so used to seeing pirates that I eventually didn't even mind them- rather, I was friendly, and I occasionally got to hang on board of some ships for a day or two. However, I ended up staying on a ship for an extended period of time once. After maybe a year or so I ended up in Sabaody Archipelago, the last stop before the Red Line and the New World. The crew that had taken me to there wouldn't let me follow them due to the unpredictability of the New World that they were heading into. They didn't want me to get caught up in all that, as I hadn't officially joined their crew despite me helping out on ship. So the captain gave me a fair amount of money- an amount that a crew member would be given when the loss of a limb or other bodily trouble forced them out of piracy. I was honored, and he also gave me a log pose to find my way back if I wanted to go the journey alone, which I both did and didn't. Oh well. There's the story.. now, do you know how to use it?"

Killer was fascinated. This old guy in front of him got to Sabaody! He obviously got distracted by his thoughts.. Killer shook his head and focused on the glass object again as the man explained how it worked and what it did.

_He told me that the little needle in the ball used the same kind of gravitational force as a normal compass, but instead of the world's polar pull moving the needle, the islands on the Grand Line produce their own sort of magnetic field onto which the needle latches itself. The needle will point to the nearest field in the location besides the one you're located in already. So when we head to the first island in the Grand Line by way of this log pose, then we'll have to wait on that island until the pose sets to the next field. (It must be funny to you Pirate King people to read that I didn't know what a log pose did and I had to have it spelled out for me. Haaaa..)_

_ So he gave me the log pose, and then he disappeared into his back room, coming back with a scroll. I got excited, because I thought I knew what it was, and I was right- it was a map. Not just any map, but a map of the Grand Line! This geezer had still kept his old, old, _ancient_ Grand Line map, and he just up and gave it to me! Why? I have no idea. But.. by all means I'm quite grateful._

_ "Take this," he said, "you'll need it."_

After all this, Killer said his thanks and quickly made his way back to Goldie. He was right in figuring that Kidd was going to be very angry that he had taken so long, and Kidd barked at him as soon as he set foot on deck. However, Killer's new findings rapidly changed his mood.

"Some ol' geezer gave you this stuff?" Kidd asked him, looking at the map that Killer had brought back. Killer nodded, smiling up at his captain.

"This is gonna be all kinds of fun.."

"Yeah, yeah.." Kidd said under his breath with a smirk, but as he turned to face the mainmast his smirk disappeared. "But c'mon- we need to leave. Now."

_He said this sternly, although I could see a glint of hesitation in Kidd's eyes_. The blonde nodded nonetheless, toting his old boots and new gifts down the wooden stairs and into his cabin for safe-keeping. Even in his room with closed door, Killer could hear Kidd barking orders above deck. Killer sighed as he heard the call for the flag to be hoisted high.

"_Hoist the Jolly Roger, you buffoon!"_

_ "Captain Kidd, are we really leaving now?"_

_ "_Yes, but don't remind me! Now get moving!" Kidd shouted again indiscriminately to a few crew mates who scrambled away quickly to do something that looked productive. Kidd shook his head and turned to the horizon with hands on his hips. He heard several pairs of footsteps quickly approaching Goldie on the dock, and Kidd had a feeling he knew what had happened..

"Are you the captain of this ship?" a man called out from the dock, and Kidd stepped toward the boarding platform with a nod. The people didn't dare step onto the wooden sheet but rather remained till Kidd came to them instead. After all, it _was _a pirate ship.

"What do you want?" Kidd asked curtly, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his pants while the islanders tried to come up with what to question first. The group all looked to one person who came forward and spoke, first coughing.

"Captain," the man, Tsumu, said with a small smile as he reached out to shake the pirate's hand. He sent Kidd a wink and then retracted his hand. He took on a serious mien and continued what he came there for- to please the upset villagers.

"Sir," Kidd said in return, playing dumb. The marshal nodded.

"I'm afraid we don't host pirates in our waters, sir," the marshal said forcefully for the others to hear, who chanted the same thing and looked at the red-head with scorn. Soon, crew members were coming to the side to watch what was happening, including Killer.

_Apparently the mayor had to fake not knowing us so that he could please the other people who were freaking out about our presence, us being pirates and all. Kidd did a pretty good job, too, despite his wanting just to buy the island and stay there forever. _

Kidd half-laughed, gesturing with open arms to his ship and crew with a rather smug look about him. "You just now say this? What have possibly done to harm you and this island, _sir_?" Killer nodded in the background while the marshal was having trouble not becoming enraged at that block-headily confident expression on his ally's face. The townspeople started to become restless and they soon fired up again, shouting unfounded accusations towards Kidd and his crew. Really, had Kidd not been who he was, he probably would've felt terribly pressured by all the hatred.

"You have heard the people. Take your dastardly pirate crew and leave, or else..-"

"Or else what?" Kidd taunted with a laugh, scaring the other people into slightly backing away whilst whispering to each other. The marshal frowned at being interrupted and humiliated, but he continued.

"Or else we shall inform the Marines of the whereabouts of you and your crew, Captain," Tsumu finished off with a decisive nod. _Kidd looked back towards us, his crew, suddenly, scanning probably for me. I had the same look of mild panic that he had at the mention of Marines. Kidd turned back to Mr. Tsugami, and beckoned him over to have a private conversation. The people at first did not want their 'beloved leader' to go any further towards Kidd, but the man did so anyway. Kidd turned him away from the crowd and towards us with hand on his shoulder- he spoke quietly, rapidly._

"Do you really mean to do that?" Kidd asked hurriedly, a pained look on his face. The marshal smirked with a sigh and shook his head. The captain let out a '_phew_' and wiped his forehead in relief.

"Oh, you had me for a second there," Eustass let out shakily, patting the man on the back rather forcefully. The man only nodded while flinching at each pat.

-

"Ready about the halyards!" Killer bellowed as he stepped onto the gang-plank towards the captain.  
Sailors chanted an "aye!" as they pulled away from the bulwarks to go towards the lines.

_Wire let down a rope ladder for Kidd and I to climb back on board after we untied the ropes from the dock and threw the danged things back over the bulwarks of Goldie. Mr. Tsugami himself gave Goldie a push away from the dock. Not that it really did much to get us going physically, but it was just a nice gesture.  
"_Man your lines well!" Kidd barked once up on board. Killer soon followed after him.  
On a count of three, right side sailors affirmed their positions saying, "Starboard halyards ready!"  
The left side sailors all seemed confident. "Port halyards ready!"  
"Ready my ass!" Kidd hissed, coming up to one of the port sailors. "I don't care if your name is 'McCool', Johnny McCool, because if you don't unwrap that line from around your wrist I can assure you that it won't be so 'cool' losing your hand from infected rope burns, ya hear?"

After said sailor quickly fixed the line in his hand and the quite snickering subsided, the port side affirmed readiness. Kidd slapped Johnny's back with a smirk as he walked away.

"Haul your lines!" Killer ordered, and the jibs went up.

_ Kidd and I had stood at the side, waving to the marshal, the store owner and the other members of the 'inner circle'. I could barely hear of the sound of the sails and the wake. _

_ "_We'll await your return!" Tsumu shouted to Kidd and Killer from the dock with a grin, bathed in midday sunlight. Kidd nodded in response solemnly, looking off towards the forest and the tower that rose above those stout, magical trees. His mind began to wander, suddenly finding a quite unusual thought-route of uncertainty. He became unsettled..

What if they never came back..?

His expression was even starting to make Killer uneasy.

"Are you okay?" Killer asked him softly, trying not to sound too mother-like. Kidd just nodded and turned away from Bandola Island, facing the direction of victory.

"Yes. I am not an over-emotional woman, thank you."  
"Whatever you say, Eustass.."

A gust of wind blew in just as the ship had navigated just off length of the pier and hit the sails perpendicular. The mainsail took the wind and sent the unreadied boom sweeping across deck, nearly catching a few men by the head as it went. Shouts of alarm went up as several men went to go catch it and haul it back to place while Kidd and Killer watched in amazement. Killer looked at Kidd.  
"Did you not tell them to check the mainsheet?" Killer asked. Kidd rubbed his head.  
"I guess not.."  
Killer sighed. "We've got a ways to go before we'll become valuable allies.." 

_So, from that point on, I talked with Kidd for a little while as we sailed away from Bandola with Wire at the helm, but then I remembered that I hadn't written anything about yesterday.. I excused myself to write then and came here, where I have been writing ever since._

_ Right now the ocean is fairly calm, which makes writing physically writing this easier. It also doesn't make me as preoccupied with weather-related thoughts, listening for orders to batten down the hatches or anything like that. I hear that there won't be much calm weather like this in the Grand Line, though.. I'm rather nervous about it. What if Goldie won't be able to withstand it..?_

All of a sudden, the pivot cannons started being rotated and armed, and with a loud "FIRE!" from Kidd, the metal was flying. The sharp explosions rang throughout the hold and cabins, and Killer was soon on his feet. Before he walked out of his cabin, he pulled back his bangs and slid on his helmet for good luck.

"Kidd! What's going on?" Killer asked as he rushed up on deck beside his captain. Kidd barely heard him due to the rounds of cannon fire going off around them. The red-head had to lean very close and still was nearly screaming.

"Are you blind? We're overtaking a ship!" Kidd bellowed, pointing to the ship that had been headed their direction but was desperately trying to make a hard-port, leeward turn to evade the cannon fire. Killer merely shook his head at his captain's over-ambitiousness while he ran back down to his cabin and got his brand new cutlass. He loved just to look at it in the sunlight sometimes because it was so shiny... He secured it to his belt and hopped back on deck to help load the pivots.

"Hold fire!" Kidd bellowed as Killer passed by him, holding Killer back with his arm. The blonde looked at the arm and then up at the captain through the holes in the face mask. Kidd was watching the pursued ship very carefully.

"Save your gunpowder till you can tell what color their hair is," Kidd told the cannon-men. "Then when I say the word.. you know. We're gaining on the big lug quickly, so don't get too relaxed. The stupid thing went into the wind."

"Looks like a.. like a.."

"Like an ugly thing," Kidd finished whilst talking of the ship they were after.

It's masts were jumbled and it seemed to have sails hanging from everywhere possible. How the rigging wasn't a complete shipwreck (ba-dum tisss) was amazing. The foremast held a lateen sail which seemed to have a yard that was longer than the mainmast itself, and the mainmast was square rigged. The mizzenmast also had a lateen but a topsail above that.

"A polacre," Killer noted, crossing his arms. Kidd nodded. Around the area they were in, polacres were used both as merchant ships and fishing ships. By the look of the way how heavily it seemed to lay in the water the two assumed it was a merchant ship headed to port to sell their goods. Kidd couldn't have been happier.

"How lucky are we.." Kidd said under his breath, rubbing his hands in anticipation as the ship seemed to grow larger as they approached. Killer smirked.

The blonde had been thinking about the whole situation carefully."They're probably headed for Bandola, since we met them head-on. Perhaps we shouldn't steal all that much of their cargo, but just their valuables and..maybe some fine drink, if you feel the need," Killer suggested to his captain like an offhand comment. He glanced around from behind his helmet and noticed the other crew members were blatantly staring at him. Killer became flustered.

"What're you gawking at?" he exploded suddenly with clenched fists, and the few men he had yelled at began to chuckle at his reaction. Two almost identical tan men half turned away and spoke in a kind of rolling, bobbing language that was native to them, but Killer still knew..

"Just because I don't speak your language doesn't change the fact that you say 'Killer'!" Killer started barking towards the two with a pointed finger, and he was startled when Kidd's booming laughter rang out behind him. Kidd put a hand on his mate's shoulder.

"Even though it's hilarious, stop lashing out. It's just the headpiece- that's all," Kidd told him calmly with a smirk, tapping the helmet with his nail. Killer couldn't tell if Kidd was just assuming that it was about the helmet, or if Kidd could actually understand the foreign language. He decided that would be a question for another time, however.

"Captain Kidd!" Heat shouted from behind one of the cannons, holding a spyglass up to his eye. Kidd turned towards him. "I can tell what color his hair is!" Kidd hit his forehead and sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, says the one with the spyglass."

It was a little under twenty minutes before their lugger finally came within a hundred yards of polacre, trying fruitlessly to zigzag away from the area, still faced towards the wind. The ship was just too heavily-laden to turn all that quickly, and Kidd's ship at that point was light and agile. It was obvious to the people on board the polacre that they would soon be overtaken. From Kidd's ship the polacre was on the port side, and the men from the starboard cannons went and prepared to aid the port-side cannon-men. They didn't exactly want to risk firing across their own deck, after all. The captain and first-mate stood motionless, observing, waiting.

Kidd squinted. He could just barely..

"I'd say he's a blonde.." He turned towards the crew; "FIRE!"

The succession of cannon fire was music to Kidd's ears while he pulled his goggles on, and the rounds that went off were mainly aimed towards the portholes in the ship's hull and a few people that were scrambling across the deck. The size of their ammo wouldn't make a scratch in any hull and Kidd knew that- hence why he wanted a larger ship- almost more than to become Pirate King. He saw a few men get picked off, and soon the vulnerable polacre was waving a white flag of surrender in the form of a sweat-stained shirt on a rod. Kidd raised his fist in victory, and crew followed suit with cries of joy and accomplishment.

"Prepare to be boarded!" Killer shouted to the polacre's remaining men as he stood precariously on the railing of Goldie, holding the shrouds- he waited till the larger ship's hull came within a meter of him and he was handed a grappling hook to throw over the bulwarks. Once in a sturdy position, Killer led the way up and onto the victim ship's deck where the men ran and screamed in pitiful fear. Following behind everyone else, Kidd climbed up and caused all the men to become silent and observe him with wide eyes as he pulled off his goggles again. However, the captain really wasn't even all that intimidating at the moment.

"Line up!" Kidd ordered the merchant crew, and after a hesitant second all the present men did so. The red-headed captain looked over each man as he went down the line, sometimes asking a question or two. Upon coming to the most prominent of the men Kidd stopped and directly faced him.

"Answer me this- are you the captain of this ship?"

The man nodded with a terrified expression. His eyes darted about, as if wondering which way was the closest route to the ocean. Kidd grabbed the man by the chin then and forced his glare on him.

"Don't even think about escaping. You're a cowardly captain! I wasn't going to kill anyone myself, but I might have to after seeing your ugly face.. sure matches your ship." Kidd then turned towards the rest of the captive crew with an open arm. "How about I kill your captain, huh?"

Instead of the dead-silent expressions of death that Killer was expecting, some of the crew members slightly nodded, or had a look of relief. The blonde wondered what kind of reaction this was, and what made the crew hate their captain so much that they wanted him dead.

"Oh? It appears that they wouldn't mind," Kidd told the other captain softly, almost scowling. The frightened captain was shaking, and Kidd could feel it through his grip on the man. The redhead stared the man dead in the eye for a prolonged minute before letting him go. He then turned towards Killer and the rest of his own crew.

"Find and take whatever you want and bring it back here to be loaded on to ol' _Gold-_ nothing too heavy, mind you," Kidd told them. Within minutes his crew was scattered about, going into the cabins to search for valuables.

Kidd stood imposingly in front of the frightened crew with a smirk on his face. He couldn't help but feel his life as a pirate was so easy at that moment. He glanced across the deck and noticed two fresh corpses with missing chunks of flesh and limbs blown off. The blood ran all over the deck with the rolling waves making the polacre bob and creak. Slightly disturbed at the sight, Kidd was jolted out of his thoughts when gunshot, a scream and several thuds resounded up from below deck. The red-head grabbed one of his nearby crew mates and placed him in charge of watching the line while he went and settled things downstairs.

"Oi! The fuck is going on down here?!" he bellowed as he stomped down, assuming that his crew had been squabbling over the same piece of gold or something to that stupid effect. However, sounds of an ongoing struggle still met with Kidd's ears. Within a minute of searching around the foreign ship's dark halls he found two of his men pitted against two of the other crew that had hidden below deck when they were boarded. There was another one of Kidd's own men there too, although he lay face down on the wood with an ugly knife jutting from the center of his back. Kidd let out his breath. The other five were frozen, motionless, watching the tall and pale one's every move.

"Maybe I should have checked for other possible crew members _before_ I let everyone loose.." the red-head mumbled to himself. The captain ducked under the low wooden beams, the lanterns slightly swinging on the ceiling beams with the waves. The ship groaned, and Kidd bent to look at his fallen comrade while the two enemies held their panicked breath. The man's face was twisted in pain, and he almost shrieked as Kidd pulled the knife out of his body. Throwing the bloody knife off into a corner, Eustass picked his man up and handed him over to one of his other men.

"Take him back to 'Goldie' and bandage him up, Nicholas. And you-" Kidd pointed to the other crew member- "In a minute help me scout out the rest of this ugly thing for more cowards."

The addressed man nodded instinctively while Kidd took the foreign culprits by the wrists and wrangled them up the stairs and into line with the others. The temporary chaperone watched Kidd as he dragged the two in front of him and also noticed Nicholas struggling to figure out a way to get the wounded one onto their ship. The ever-watchful captain noticed this as well and dismissed the chaperone to help Nicholas. In his stead Kidd plucked Killer from the whole fray and placed him as overseer before he trudged back below deck to search the rest of the polacre.

The other mate heard loud boots clomping around near him and he curiously peeked his head out of the hold's trap door, standing on the ladder down into the dark, musty space. "Captain Kidd?"

Kidd made a noise of affirmation.

"Peter, have you found anyone else?" Kidd questioned the boy. Peter climbed out of the hold and stood on deck, shaking his head. His gaze came to rest darkly down the hallway.

"There was nearly nothing in the hold, Captain.." Peter announced quietly, glancing towards the few doors down the hallway leading to two large cargo rooms. The two doors closest to the stairs led to the supposed men's quarters and captain's quarters. Kidd raised an eyebrow and folded his arms as one of his other men came thudding out into the hall behind him from the captain's cabin. Kidd turned to hear what other news he would be told.

"Captain," he started, grabbing Kidd's attention, "the captain's quarters was filled was maps of other seas and gold money, jewelry and other valuables. However, in the room across from the men's quarters we didn't find any hammocks or normal cargo.."

Kidd rolled his eyes. "Out with it, then."

The young reporter's eyes widened as well as his lopsided grin as he spoke. "Muskets- crates of muskets, barrels of gunpowder and wine."

Now it occurred to Kidd that a normal merchant ship would usually not be transporting arms, unless working for the government- or smuggling them illegally. And unless the main cargo was wine, the combination seemed rather.. strange.

"Unless..." Kidd thought aloud, suddenly pushing past the reporter to hustle back on deck.

He stomped up to the sheepish other captain and seized him by his ruffled collar. The man involuntarily let out a sort of shriek and found Kidd's relentless stare on on his eyes. The man felt himself beginning to sweat and grew flustered under the close scrutiny of the red-head.

"You're pirates, aren't you.."

The smaller captain shut his eyes tightly with a gasp and mumbled bits and pieces of put-together prayers under his breath. He knew he had met his match. He became even more terrified as Kidd began to shake him angrily.

"Answer me, damnit!" Kidd bellowed in his face.

The captain still refused to answer, or physically could not answer, and his crew around him decided the long awaited mutiny would start then. The young crew, most of which had barely seen 18 years, began to glance about at each other with looks of determination. Kidd watched the silent communication and observed the looks in their eyes. The eyes that seemed to glow beyond the dirty, grimy faces of rarely-bathed makeshift sailors.. Kidd dropped his scowl and turned towards Killer.

"It seems like you have an idea," Killer noted with a blocked-off look of amusement. Kidd reciprocated the tone.

"Oh yeah. C'mere- let's discuss this for a minute," Kidd decided, releasing his grip on the frilled collar. The stunned, defeated pirate captain, adrenaline still high from his 'near-death' experience, practically hopped back into line with his traitorous crew members. Wire stepped in to watch them. Meanwhile, captain and first-mate wandered a little ways away from the rest and leaned against the bulwarks. Kidd was the first to speak his mind.

"I think I'll kill the bastard captain, take this damned ugly mug and it's crew and declare them mine, for the time being," Kidd said with finality, barely audible above the flapping of the gigantic lateen sail above their heads. Killer half-nodded, looking about the ship. Kidd continued on amid the blonde's thinking.

"And before you ask- yes, obviously we'll keep 'Goldie', and you'll be her captain," Kidd told Killer whilst watching his friend's body language. Killer did sort of an ecstatic jig and attempted to bear hug the captain if it weren't for the pale hand pushing on his face mask. The captain laughed at the reaction.

"I take it that it sounds good, then?"

Killer nodded enthusiastically.

"Then I guess I'll go and get the deed over with." Kidd mumbled, turning towards his victim. As his captain took steps away from him, Killer then thought about the upcoming events that would ensue due to the taking of the polacre. The 'ugly mug' would be captained by Eustass Kidd himself, thus meaning his living quarters would be situated there. Killer, being captain of Goldie, would then move into Kidd's current cabin. Kidd would be..

Killer smirked.

Kidd would become Admiral of a fleet.

_I'm nervous about the long term affects of this transition.. I pray I don't get separation anxiety. (Don't laugh..)_

The gunshot and following splash brought Killer's eyes over to Kidd, shirt splattered with blood and a grin of success on his face. The crews cheered and jumped, hugging and running to clap Kidd on the back and declare him the new captain. Killer hadn't moved a muscle but found his eyes locked with Kidd's across the deck.

_Who am I kidding.. I can't be a captain. I already feel strange. _

Kidd could clearly see that Killer's face was blank, borderline unhappy. Within a second, the look was beyond him and in day-dream-land.

_Maybe I should tell Kidd.._

A barrel of wine was gulped down by the large crew in celebration of the liberation of their new mates' comradeship. The ships stayed loosely roped together throughout the night, looked after by Heat and Peter in the polacre's crow's nest on Kidd's orders.

"Hey hey, does this damned hulk have a name?" Kidd asked between gulps, sitting in the crowded galley of the overtaken ship. One of the scrawny mates wriggled forward and answered.

"_Destiny_, captain."

"Destiny? Wow.. Stupid name for a hideous thing!"

"Would you stop calling it ugly?" Killer mumbled from beside him at the table, resting his chin on his helmet. Kidd ignored the comment and started thinking up a new clever kind of name. He seemed to light up as an idea came to mind.

"Oh! How about _Sea Lassy_?"

The ship went silent.

_It's really a terrible name.. but I don't mind it that much. It's a little like Goldie, I suppose. _

"_Sea Lassy _it is, then!" Kidd bellowed, jumping up to his feet with Killer in a headlock next to him, and the room leapt back into cheering and toasting and pouring liquid down their throats for any and every reason. Kidd laughed at his genius and held his mug up to Killer's mouth and nearly choked the blonde, laughing even harder. Killer pulled the mug from his face and pushed away from Kidd, practically plowing his way through the sea of mates to get up to the deck. It was a clear, pretty night, and Killer didn't want to spend all his time sweating and drinking down in that foreign galley. The blonde decided it was time to go home.

"Can't handle it down there, Killer?" Heat yelled from the crow's nest. Killer couldn't tell if he was mocking him or if it was a serious question- he didn't respond. He scrambled onto the bulwarks and watched the waves, judging when it was right to jump over. Up and then down.. creak and groan.. calm.. Killer jumped and landed with a soft thud on the completely abandoned home territory that was the sloop _Gol D. Locks._ Killer sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked up at the in-between staged moon.

"Looks like a white potato.." Killer mused to himself.

He took a few steps towards the bow of his ship, feeling rather meloncholy, when a wood-on-wood thud behind him made him jolt and turn, finding his helmet rolling behind him. He put a hand to his chest and let out a sigh, finding a tall silhouette sitting on the bulwarks of _Sea Lassy._ Killer frowned. He took a step, picked up his helmet and click-clacked over towards the figure, a few meters of water between them.

"What's up?" Kidd asked, leaning his chin on his fist. Killer tch-ed at him and sat down on the deck, hugging his knees to his chest. Kidd raised an eyebrow and decided to hop over, nearly losing his balance on _Goldie's_ railing and falling face-first onto the deck. He recovered with a laugh and plopped down next to his friend. He looked at Killer, scanning his body, and sighed.

"Are you upset 'cause I let one of our guys get hurt?" Kidd asked, leaning towards Killer to see under his golden bangs. Killer gave him a glare and shook his head. Kidd bit his tongue and tried to think.

"It is because we're keeping such an ugly-"

"No, Kidd. The _Lassy _is a cute thing in her own way. I just don't feel good," Killer tried to explain, rubbing his face with his hands. Kidd groaned, smacking the blonde on his back.

"God, Killer, you're no fun. You sound like a woman. We have a fleet now! A _fleet_! Sure, this big thing's not quite what I imagined or hoped for, but she's certainly bigger than _Gol D. Locks_. Maybe we could get some real cannon on there, Killer!" Kidd grinned over at his friend, getting a hidden expression. Kidd slumped, but Killer had let a small smirk pull at his lips. Kidd's simple-minded happiness was innocent and contagious.

"I bet we could get a few on there.." Killer told him, pushing his bangs back off his face, looking up at _Sea Lassy. _Kidd was back to grinning again and he messed Killer's hair up, getting a mixture of laughter and 'oi!'s from him.

"I don't wanna sleep there tonight, so I'll stick in my cabin here, but you need to move in there, so... well, we can share if you want," Kidd muttered, retracting his hands and leaning back on the hard deck. He could feel the rough wood start to jab into his palms, and he hoped that he wouldn't end up with splinters.. Killer, meanwhile, debated.

"Why don't you just sleep in a net with us?" Killer suggested, getting a somewhat pleased look from the captain.

"Why not? It'll be like old times, back when it was just us two," Kidd said, getting a grin from Killer.

_It's a little unnerving for him to be snoring away next to me right now. I mean, it would be so easy for him to wake up, see the journal, take it, read it, and my embarrassment would commence from there. If only I could come up with some form of easy way to lock it away from his reach. But maybe I'm just overreacting. _

_ ..He looks pretty gone anyway. He'll sleep long past me, I'm certain._

Killer smirked, closing the journal and putting it on his chest. He intertwined his fingers behind his head and glanced over at Kidd- mouth open, arm and leg hanging out of the net. Killer then remembered why Kidd was so glad to get out of the net...'cause he's 6'8. Killer laughed to himself, imagining Kidd going over the side.

"Go to bed, Killer.. surprised you never pass out from how little you sleep," Kidd mumbled, shifting in the net with a smirk on his face. Killer paled, then felt his face heat up, and promptly rolled over clutching his journal.

Kidd grinned and shook his head, wondering how Killer would do without him.


End file.
